Alfred Reed Bishop and Doris William Butler

The picture above is the very tap root of Bishop's Homegrown/Face Of The Earth Seed. My grandparents shortly after moving to Pekin Indiana from Greensburg KY in 1947 where they purchased the farm that is now Bishop's Homegrown. This picture was taken in Pekin in front of the old co-op next to the old railroad depot, neither of which exist today.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Uncle Penn's Circle W Soap and Isla Tortuga woodworking cataloug.

Uncle Penn's Circle W Old Fashioned Lye Soap is the newest addition to Bishop's Homegrown. Soap as it should be...simple.

If you want authenticity and only natural homegrown ingredients in your soap then we have the soap for you! We are sourcing a large portion of our ingredients from our own farm gardens and fields including grains (corn meal and oats), vegetables, dried herbs, fruit, and even local honey.

We are more concerned with sourcing ingredients that have been traditionally used in soap for their skin care properties (as well as sustainability) than with creating over scented bars using expensive essential oils or synthetic fragrant oils. Different strokes for different folks. Many of our soaps are one offs which are made in extraordinarilly small batches when and as ingredients are available from the farm while others are timeless classics (castille, raw, "Home-Brew")

We do use lard in our recipies along with a number of other oils simply because it's a reliable base fat that has been used since the begining of soap making and imparts qualities we appreciate, as well it is sustainable and and practical to produce on a small homested farm (which we are currently persuing). We use no artificial or natural dyes, just simple natural colors, imparted by our ingredients, which we feel speak to the earthiness and utilitarianism of the finished product. Completely bio-degradable and "Eco-Logical" just like all the Bishop's Homegrown products.

Most of our soaps use either homebrewed beer or wine bases or spring/well/rain water and nearly all include Honey in the mixture (a natural humectant and anti-bacterial), as well our soaps are all 3-5% superfated to help further moisturize your skin. Similarly the scet of our soap is in no way overbearing, owing it's slight scent to the presence of the natural ingredients inherent in the soap. We feel that there is an underserved soap market who appreciate a more subtle and earthy soap and share our appreciation of light natural scents imparted simply by on farm ingredients.

The main job of soap is to help water clean and moisturize your skin afterall.It's our belief that what you put on your body should be just as important as what you put in your body and the use of on farm ingredients assures that the two are one in the same (not to mention soap is another good form of preservation of the yearly harvest).

Keep your eyes peeled for further product introductions in the coming months!

If your after simplicity and quality over production and perfume we exist to cater to you!

Ordering information and custom orders: It seems like there is a growing trend when it comes to ordering from small business and farms online, utilizing credit cards, and unsecure digital forms and middleman services which cut into profit margins and play into the hands of the same big business we all seem so adamant to stand up against. Here we shun such practices and encourage ordering in the old fashioned way.

Give us a call and stop by the farm at 5604 S. State Rd. 60 Pekin IN 47165 or visit us at Washington County Artisans and Farmers market (spring-summer Saturdays 8-12 @Pekin Park. Winter @ Various locations) or order by mail the old fashioned way by sending well concealed cash or money order to Alan Bishop at the address above.

Tobbacco Lath wall hanger. This one is just sanded down to reveal the natural stain from years of hanging tobacco in our family barn. 4 inches deep x 4 inches wide by 4 inches tall. Great for hanging on a wall for your candles or soap or other items ot interest. 5.00 locally. No shipping at this time, check back soon.

Tobacco Lath Planter. Sanded down to reveal the natural tobacco stain. Great for a natural hanging planter complete with drainage holes and a bit of old barbless wire for hanging. 6 inches deep/wide/long. $15.00 locally, no shipping at this time, check back soon.

Tobacco Lath Ladders. We make these in several different sizes including miniatures and up to 5 foot tall. Great to lean against a wall or table to display items. Stained or unstained. Contact us for prices and sizes. No shipping currently. Locally available

Hand split tobacco lath coat hanger. Rustic and cool coat hangar made from a hand split tobacco lath over 100 years old. Would look great hanging in your home this winter. Stained mahogany. 10.00 each. Available locally. No shipping at this time.

Tobacco Lath Stars. We make these in a variety of sizes, both stained and unstained. Great for hanging on walls, doors, barns exct and look great decorated with Christmas lights! Small stained star 5.00, Small unstained 3.00. Large unstained 5.00 and large stained 8.00. No shipping currently.

Also for your Christmas shopping pleasure were proud to present some of our woodworking ventures. All of these products are handcrafted here on the farm using tobacco sticks (lath) that have graced our family farm fields for years (the hand split ones are sometimes near to or older than 100 years old and originally from Greensburg KY) First up is this hand split lath shaddow box window frame. The lathe were sanded and stained mahogany, would look great setting over a picture on your wall. 5.00 locally. No shipping at the moment, check back soon. Also available unfinished.

Uncle Penn's "Manda": Great grandma 'Manda Burns spent a lot of time rendering lard from homegrown hogs and screening potash for lye to make her families yearly supply of soap. This here is nearly as authentic and "real" as it gets. Straight up lye and lard by popular request. Pure as the driven snow and white enough to prove it. This one is 3% superfat but we can make it 0% by request. Old timers claimed it good for drying out poison ivy, washing stains from clothes, and dealing with other skin issues as well as washing out some "dirty" mouths when needed. 5 ounce bars. 4.00 each locally 8.00 shipped..

Uncle Penns "Grit Gitter": We love gritts here on the farm, to us there isn't a thing in this world better than real grits from home ground corn flavored with some homegrown honey! What better way to pay tribute than to make soap with the same aesthetic! Lye, lard, coconut oil, sunflower oil, bees wax, and elderberry wine hook up with grits from homegrown Amanda Palmer corn (ground fine in a coffee grinder) and flavored with homegrown honey. Great exfoliating body bar with moisturizing properties that smells like breakfast, lunch, and dinner! 5 ounce bars. 4.00 locally 8.00 shipped. Bulk discount available.

Uncle Penns "Aunt Molly". Aunt Molly is one of those somewhat shrude weomen who remembers exactly where she came from. Straight up, she tells it like it is. This ones made in her spirit. Farm fresh spearamint blended with coffee makes for a great work soap to scrub the dirt of a hard day away. The base is spring water from "down the hill" as liquor would serve only to infuriate the aunt who it's named in honor of. 3 ounce bar. 5% superfat. Castille (olive oil) based. Excellent moisturizure. 3.00 locally 7.00 shipped

Uncle Penn's "Workin' Man": That he was! And of course theres that song ("I get up, seven yeah, go to work at nine" so what if the lyrics were a bit of a late starter!). This ones a straight up coffee scrub with a bit of honey for some "smellum good". Lot's of coffee grounds (home roasted from Sweet Maria's fair trade) for that extra grit you need to scrub out those deep workin man stains and as always some honey to help moisturize. 3% superfated too with the light scent of honey. 4 ounce bars. 4.00 each locally 8.00 shipped. Bulk discount available.

Uncle Penns Possum Fruit: Yeah, we went there, down in the hills of Kentucky nobody eats perssimmons, claiming their only good for possum feed! Good for us Hoosiers we know what they are all about! Luckily so to did those in the orient who used persimmon soap to aid in complexion and to cover body odour. True American persimmon meets lye, lard, coconut oil, honey, and elderberry wine. 3% superfat and honey means this ones great for moisturizing. Light honey-persimmon scent is reminicent of that famous pudding your grandma made. 5 ounce bar for 4.00. 8.00 shipped. Bulk discount available.

Uncle Penns Homebrew Soap: A blend of homebrewed wine and beer meets up with old fashioned lard and lye (along with coconut and sunflower oil) and some Avena Nuda oats (farm grown) with a bit of honey and chamomille to give you that kick in the pants you've been looking for. 3% superfat and honey keeps you moisturized while the slight natural scent of honey and chamomille make you presentable for the speakeasy crowd. 4.00 each. 8.00 shipped. Bulk discount available.

Uncle Penns "Turtle Creek": An homage to a small tributary to blue river where some of the best produce and homebrew are grown and brewed respectively. Beer base meets farm fresh cucumber (full of vitamins and nutrients and slightly astringent so good for oily skin) and oatmeal. Great for that early morning "wake up" call. 3% superfat, light oat and cucumber smell. Great lather. 5 ounce bars for 4.00 locally 8.00 shipped

Uncle Penns "Mull Digger": For those who don't know what a "Mull Digger" is down in the hills of Kentucky it's a term used to refer to a lazy or otherwise useless dog (or lazy person/a cheat) who digs for moles but never catches them, instead leaving only distruction and subsequent work in it's path. Here we use it to refer to our pine tar soap which harkens back to the days of "patent medicines...". Pine tar has been used for centuries to ward off bugs, deal with skin conditions, and mask the smell of hunters from prey. 3% superfat, coconut oil, sunflower oil, lard, rain water, and bees wax makes this superior to others. 5 ounce bars. 4.00 each locally, 8.00 shipped. Bulk deals available.

Check out these gift baskets, they make great Christmas gifts. Included is your choice of one of two different types of handmade wooden totes made from antique tobacco sticks from our family farm which have been sanded down and stained mahogany with a gift bow and decorative poinsettas and your choice of any four Circle W soaps as well as a tube each of "Kisser Fixer" Chapstick (Latte and Butter Cream). 40.00 each local only.

Not Everybody is lucky enough to have an Uncle like Penn Wilson. A simple appalachian man who has an insatiable passion for life and liberty. Our soap, like him, is as it should be...simple. Straight up natural, farm grown "smelllum good" herbs, honey, homebrewed wine and beer, spring and rain water, lye and oils. Never any artificial colors or scents out of a bottle. Just good old fashioned mountain wisdom.

2 comments:

I was lucky enough to be a local soap tester for Alan and Kim...so here is my feedback :)

These soaps are fantastic. They do not dry your skin out like other soaps do. I have very dry skin and normally avoid using bar soap because it is too dry...but these soaps do not dry my skin out at all.

The scents are very subtle....and very unique because the soaps are made from fresh ingredients, as opposed to essential oils. The difference is amazing...soaps that have that fresh subtle "outdoor type scents" as opposed to the "fake overpowering perfume" type.

I can't stress the difference that results from making soap from fresh ingredients as opposed to a conventional 'home made' soap kits consisting of essential oils. I have bought many local (to southern Indiana) home made soaps made with essentials oils and other synthetic ingredients ... and they are often too strongly scented, dry out my skin, and often trite-because everyone seems to buy the same essential oils/scent kits!

The variety of these soaps alone is cause to try them! Than add to that the fact that they are made not only from natural ingredients but ingredients that are locally grown and sourced!

My only caveat is do not use these soaps when hungry..because one is seriously tempted to start nibbling on a bar of something like the Persimmon or the honey-mead bar.

So..forget all of those other 'home made' bars that have disappointed you in the past (as they did me) and try these soaps....they are so much better and unlike any other soap out there.

I love that you guys are making all natural soaps now, my jaw dropped. I will definately be ordering some in the new year.

Seabuckthorn seed and berry oils would make a great addition to your soaps. I have personally used oil from the seeds and it is incredibly healing, and as an added bonus seabuckthorn makes a great barrier and is a great food crop too. Its stupidly nutritious.

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Things you should be aware of if visiting or touring Bishop's Homegrown.

As with any business property there are certain legal restrictions we must abide by to protect ourselves and you. This is for your information and is very important for you to read before visiting our farm.

1. Under Indiana law, an agritourism provider is not liable for an injury to, or the death of, a participant in agritourism activities at this location if the death or injury results from the inherent risks of agritourism activity. Inherent risks of agritourism activities include risks of injury inherent to land, equipment, and animals as well as the potential for you to act in a negligent manner that may contribute to your injury or death, or for other participants to act in a manner that may cause you injury or cause your death. You are assuming the risk of participating in this agritourism activity.

2. We love children and understand the excitement children experience when exposed to open spaces and farm animals and we encourage visitors to bring their children. That said, please be a responsible parent and keep a close eye on your children and keep your children at your side at all time. There is to be absolutely no chasing of my animals (regardless of bare hands or baring sticks, stones, or any other instrument of livestock death and despair). Do not enter my enclosures without my express permission and accompanyment. While my animals are mostly calm and tame, go ahead and presume they are the meanest animals on the face of the earth and do not approach them without my consent.

3. Use your brain and dress and prepare appropriately for a farm tour. No open toed shoes

4. I love giving tours and talking and would never charge for information and often times I even give away products for people to try. That said, my time is important, if you feel it is appropriate and warranted I am not opposed to or above the charity of a donation for my time and knowledge, every bit of which you can guarantee will go back into the black hole that is agriculture on this farm. I generally tend to think of my time as being worth $10.00-20.00 an hour. It is not necessary to recompensate me for information gladly shared, but the sentiment is appreciated. This of course does not apply to customers who are purchasing from me or even just checking things out.

The Safe Seed Pledge.

We at Bishop's Homegrown/Face Of The Earth Seed have signed the Safe Seed Pledge which states the following:

"Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safeand genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers whowant an alternative,We pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, familiesor kingdoms, poses great biological risks as well as economic, political, and cultural threats. We feel thatgenetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing isnecessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to supportagricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ultimately healthypeople and communities."

Penn Wilson (circa '96) showing me how to "turn" a shepards hook.

My great-uncle Arlene showing off a Banana Squash he grew sometime in the mid 80's!

Tobacco Culture runs deep in this family. Dad with our crop around '95 or so.

Welcome To....!

Sketch of the new logo by the amazing Mary Deem Pfeifer!

http://faceoftheearthseed.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to check out the 2011 Face Of The Earth seed Bazaar (public catalog). We've provided a skin and bones blogspot so you don't have to dig through the main blog here to find our new seed list.

Welcome To Bishop's Homegrown

Bishop's Homegrown and Face Of The Earth Seed are the names for both our farm and our family owned business. We are intensley devoted to developing self-sustainable alternative means and methods for our own livlihood as well as for the education of the world at large.

As the world around us changes, evolves, and devolves as we are seeing at the moment we think it more important than ever to be prepared and capable to not only survive but thrive and to understand the intricate web-like system that "eco-logical" farming represents.

We hope in the coming years to be able to provide to our customers not only information but also nursery stock of rare varieties, seeds of our unique breeding projects, livestock, and much more.

Our emphasis is on developing new varieties of livestock and plants uniquely adapted to low input farming in the Ohio valley but also in the wider world. We want to be able to provide reliable stock, information, and methods to those who wish to persue a self-sustainable lifestyle or a career in market farming, but more importantly for those concerned about what lies around the corner in the road for all of us.

Use this blog to keep up with what we have available for sale, the many projects we are working on, and for informational purposes.

Be sure as well to check out our small but growing message board of plant breeders, homesteaders, and survivalists at alanbishop.proboards.com